2018
Olympus Zuiko 24 f2.8 - Punching above its weight
This is my second vintage Zuiko (I did have an OM-D EM-5 for a while and loved modern Zuikos). The first was the 21mm f3.5 MC which is a tiny little thing that performed well and looked good doing it. This one is actually almost identical in look, size, weight, construction quality - all good things! But how does it compare optically? Read on to find out.
The Olympus Zuiko 24/2.8 (multicoated) specs:
Build Quality/Handling (Excellent/Excellent)
All I said about the 21mm f3.5 applies EXACTLY to this lens. It's a nice, solid metal lens with a great aperture ring and smooth rubberized focus ring that travels just under 90˚between .25m and infinity. It's tiny, it's light, it's compact and it's damn pretty with that silver ring contrasting nicely with the black metal finish. The lens also handles very well on the a6500, A7s, and A7iii.
Image Quality (Decent)
Let's look at sharpness first - a couple of shots on the A7iii.
The Olympus Zuiko 24/2.8 (multicoated) specs:
- 8 elements in 7 groups
- Weight - 185 grams
- Length - 31 mm (59 mm with adapter)
- Filter size - 49 mm
- Min. focus distance - 0.25 m
- Aperture - 6 blades, f2.8 to f16 in full stops
Build Quality/Handling (Excellent/Excellent)
All I said about the 21mm f3.5 applies EXACTLY to this lens. It's a nice, solid metal lens with a great aperture ring and smooth rubberized focus ring that travels just under 90˚between .25m and infinity. It's tiny, it's light, it's compact and it's damn pretty with that silver ring contrasting nicely with the black metal finish. The lens also handles very well on the a6500, A7s, and A7iii.
Image Quality (Decent)
Let's look at sharpness first - a couple of shots on the A7iii.
@f2.8 on the Sony A7iii - click photo for 100% view
@f2.8 on the Sony A7iii - click photo for 100% view
And on the a6500.
100% centre crops - from top left - f2.8, f4, f5.6, f8
100% corner crops - from top left - f2.8, f4, f5.6, f8
As was the case with the 21mm f3.5, this little Zuiko shows very good sharpness in the centre of the frame on both 24mp sensors. Unfortunately, the corners aren't as good and even at f8 they're not that sharp. Part of this is the lateral CA, but it might also be due to field curvature which is really noticeable when shooting closer subjects.
Bokeh isn't really something that people generally get 24mm lenses for, but it's certainly there when shooting wide open. How is it? I think it's actually decent for this focal length, though in a typical 24mm fashion it can be busy with some outlining of specular highlights, for example. Still, I like it, but I'm no bokeh snob and don't need super smooth stuff to be happy.
Bokeh isn't really something that people generally get 24mm lenses for, but it's certainly there when shooting wide open. How is it? I think it's actually decent for this focal length, though in a typical 24mm fashion it can be busy with some outlining of specular highlights, for example. Still, I like it, but I'm no bokeh snob and don't need super smooth stuff to be happy.
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Lateral CA is pretty visible in the corners but otherwise CA is well controlled. There's pretty heavy vignetting wide open and it takes a few clicks of the old aperture ring to get rid of it.
In my opinion, the biggest weaknesses of the Zuiko 21mm f3.5 was its poor flare resistance and unusual ghosting flare with the light source just outside the angle of view. The 24mm Olympus lacks those distinct, half-circular, orange blobs. Its performance is overall better, and in some situations there's barely any flare. Still, there can be lots of ghosting and some peculiar circular flare, too. On the other hand, contrast retention is quite good.
Here's a bunch of shots into the light.
Here's a bunch of shots into the light.
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There's also some slight barrel/moustache distortion, which is difficult to completely get rid off in post, but it's not super noticeable in most situations.
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Conclusion
Alright, so it might sound like I didn't love this lens, but I actually think that it's a decent performer. It's certainly a beautifully put together little thing that packs pretty good image quality into a tiny package and looks great on the Sony A7. Yes, there are several weaknesses, but it does have a modern, contrasty rendering that's pretty attractive.
However, it's not a cheap 24mm compared to something like the Canon nFD 24mm f2.8, and I suspect that it's not any better optically either, though I'll wait till I shoot them side by side to make up my mind. Overall, I liked the Zuiko 21mm f3.5 more, even with its funky flare.
Related reviews
Sample Images
Alright, so it might sound like I didn't love this lens, but I actually think that it's a decent performer. It's certainly a beautifully put together little thing that packs pretty good image quality into a tiny package and looks great on the Sony A7. Yes, there are several weaknesses, but it does have a modern, contrasty rendering that's pretty attractive.
However, it's not a cheap 24mm compared to something like the Canon nFD 24mm f2.8, and I suspect that it's not any better optically either, though I'll wait till I shoot them side by side to make up my mind. Overall, I liked the Zuiko 21mm f3.5 more, even with its funky flare.
Related reviews
Sample Images
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